Momentum swings happen everywhere – in the stock market, the housing market – even in the performance of your favorite sports team. Improvement initiatives are no exception. Implementing new processes or performance management systems rarely follows a straight upward trajectory. Periods of smooth progress are often followed by stretches of painstaking effort.
The following condensed excerpt from Peter Follows’ Result Not Report: Building Exceptional Organizations by Integrating Process, Performance, and People illustrates the power of managing momentum swings.
Monday, May 13, 2013, will go down in sports folklore as one of the all-time incomprehensible chokes if you’re a [Toronto Maple] Leafs fan or as one of the all-time greatest comebacks if you’re a Boston Bruins fan. The Leafs blew a 4 to 1 lead in the final period of the seventh and deciding playoff game. The Bruins scored three goals in quick succession to tie the game and went on to win in overtime.
Pat Quinn, a former Toronto coach, described it as the terrifying moment most athletes experience at some point in their careers: when momentum swings to the other team at such a fierce rate that collapse feels inevitable.
Staying with the sporting world for a moment, the 2022 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France was another great example of significant momentum swings.
After being significantly outplayed in the first half, and with Argentina ahead 2 to 0, France shifted gears. With about ten minutes left, Kylian Mbappé improbably scored two goals in two minutes to tie the game. Argentina took back the lead, only for Mbappé to tie it once again. It eventually went to a penalty shoot-out where Argentina managed to pull out the victory.
In summarizing the game, journalist Cathal Kelly wrote, ‘How great was this match? So great that no one in it failed.’
One of the ways to accept positive and negative momentum swings is to recognize that implementing change is part of an evolution in management capability; it’s not an event. The objective is not to put a temporary focus on operations, make a few changes, and claim victory. It’s a transition to a new way of managing the organization.
Why is this so important to illustrate? Because organizations often misread these slow periods as failure. Most people are more comfortable with positive momentum. Negative momentum – or simply the absence of rapid progress – can do serious damage if leaders don’t recognize it and manage it skillfully. Fear and frustration may take hold. Doubt can creep in. Employees might begin pointing fingers or simply disengage.
That’s where leadership makes all the difference. Leaders need to normalize the idea that improvements follow an evolutionary curve rather than an event-driven path. Instead of reacting in a panic, they can focus their energy on supporting teams to weather the inevitable peaks and valleys.
Consistent communication is a big part of that support — acknowledging what’s been accomplished, honestly discussing the challenges ahead, and reinforcing why the work matters. When people are reminded that the goal is sustained, meaningful improvement, not quick cosmetic fixes, they’re more likely to stay engaged when progress feels slow.
Leaders who manage these swings successfully recognize that improvement is not a one-off program to check off a list; it’s an enduring way of thinking, working, and collaborating. Keeping this evolutionary mindset front and center helps organizations stay the course.
